Heather Hansen is a New Orleans-based artist who really puts herself into her work. In her project, 'Emptied Gestures', she creates something like you've never seen before. With a piece of charcoal in hand, she lets her imagination come to life. She begins by taking a mysterious stance on a huge, blank piece of paper.

Next, she stretches her body over the white canvas… and something incredible starts to take shape.

She contorts, and glides over the canvas as the charcoal smoothly traces her every movement.

The way she moves is such art in itself that you almost forget what is being drawn.

Heather's goal is to “match her heartbeat with the beat of the universe.”

The emotion that she puts into each piece is almost tangible, with the near-perfect symmetry of her work giving a physical form to the emotional balance she feels as she draws.

While most charcoal drawings come off as harsh and sharp, Hansen's are soft and mesmerizing due to the lines being smeared gently by her skin.

The reveal of a finished piece is always emotionally charged.

Heather has a deep, spiritual connection with her work.

Although her pieces are black and white, the nature of her art invites us to explore the gray areas that connect our minds and bodies.

And more importantly, it shows us that even when we are not as perfect as society would like us to be…

If we dare to touch the world around us…

We can truly create something amazing.

Heather is a dancer, painter and sculptor. She has performed all of her talents around the world and she doesn't plan on stopping any time soon.

If you enjoyed it, please share the beauty of Heather's work with others.